PRIA Logo™
119-s-3923119th CongressWALLET

Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Cruz, Ted [R-TX]

In Committee

Summary

Modernize and expand NOAA's weather, water, and ocean observing, modeling, and public-warning systems to deliver faster, more accurate forecasts and stronger decision tools for hazards from tornadoes to tsunamis, wildfires, and harmful algal blooms. It creates new programs, sets multiyear funding through FY2030, and requires reporting, interagency coordination, and workforce protections.

Show full summary
  • Families and coastal communities get stronger warnings and planning tools through updated tsunami forecasting, coastal flood and storm surge programs, and a modernized NOAA Weather Radio. Key authorizations include $30 million per year for tsunami activities and $25 million per year for NOAA Weather Radio operations plus $100 million for modernization in FY2026.
  • Farmers, water managers, and drought‑vulnerable areas gain better subseasonal‑to‑seasonal forecasts, expanded streamgages, and a Next Generation Water Observing System to improve water supply and reservoir planning. The bill authorizes $40 million per year for S2S pilots and $30 million for initial water observing basins in FY2026.
  • Emergency responders and the National Weather Service workforce receive a coordinated Fire Weather Services Program, an Incident Meteorologist Service, hiring and relocation protections, and rising fire‑weather funding that grows from $15 million in FY2026 to $50 million in FY2030.

*Authorizes multiple new and expanded funding lines across NOAA programs, including a $311 million FY2026 AI/modeling appropriation, increasing federal spending authority through FY2030.*

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

24 provisions identified: 24 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

New National Fire Weather Services

If enacted, NOAA would create a Fire Weather Services program and submit a program plan and workforce assessments to Congress within 18 months. The bill would create a Fire Weather Testbed, an Incident Meteorologist Service to deploy experts to major events, and require annual post-fire-season surveys. It would also authorize rising appropriations for fire-weather activities from $15 million in FY2026 to $50 million in FY2030.

Planning AI, HPC, and Data Upgrades

If enacted, the bill would make NOAA plan and prepare major computing, data, and AI upgrades for weather and Earth-system prediction. NOAA must publish a 10-year high-performance computing and data plan within 1 year and update it through 2035, and AWIPS must have a cloud transition strategy by Sept. 30, 2030. The bill also requires NOAA and the Energy Department to report on computing needs within two years and to create public training datasets and a NOAA Data Lake to support models.

Stronger warnings and post‑storm data

If enacted, NOAA Weather Radio would be modernized to broadcast watches, warnings, and hazard information 24/7 and be hardened to work during power and cell outages. The bill would require standards for flash flood alerts that work for places without broadband or local warning systems. It would broaden and strengthen the tsunami warning program, require biannual fail‑safe drills and a tsunami coordinator at each center, and update alert memoranda with FEMA and the FCC within 180 days. NOAA would also conduct post‑storm surveys after major events, share data publicly, and may use uncrewed systems for damage assessment.

Satellite and commercial data planning

If enacted, NOAA would run a NESDIS partnership and Transition Program to move satellite research into operations and submit annual plans to Congress. The bill directs NOAA to develop and keep GeoXO geostationary capabilities and to aim for a launch by 2032, subject to appropriations. It would require NOAA to compare federal and commercial options, publish standards for commercial observation services, and run OSSEs that compare to commercial systems to inform procurement. These steps aim to broaden commercial data use and protect continuity of space-based weather data.

NOAA staffing and pay changes

If enacted, the bill would require the NWS Director to send hiring assessments to Congress within one year and every year after. NOAA would hire an outside group to study health effects of rotating shifts and could run two-year pilots for staffing and decision-support improvements. For calendar year 2026, covered emergency responders could receive extra premium pay that would not count toward aggregate pay limits up to a cap tied to Executive Schedule Level II; that extra pay would not count toward retirement or lump-sum annual leave. The bill would also explicitly include the Department of Commerce in the cited premium-pay statute and require OMB to reclassify some NOAA forecast jobs as protective service occupations.

New chemical test for seafood origin

If enacted, the bill would require agency leaders to develop a standard chemical-analysis method to identify the country of origin for seafood. The method must serve federal and state law enforcement, be fast, use a field kit one person can carry, and try to work on prepared foods where practicable. The bill would require pilot studies on red snapper and several tuna species and a report to Congress within 2 years summarizing the method and an operational plan.

Aviation and surface observations upgrade

If enacted, NOAA and the FAA would enter a weather services agreement for at least five years so NOAA can provide aviation weather services. FAA would, with NOAA, seek proposals to see whether commercial services can safely supplement NOAA services at central weather units. The bill would also assess and plan upgrades to the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), list needed upgrades and data access improvements, and report estimated funding needs to Congress within two years.

Coastal Flood and Surge Forecasting

If enacted, the bill would create a Coastal Flooding and Storm Surge Forecast Improvement Program. NOAA would make probabilistic coastal inundation estimates, improve surge and wave models with USGS, incorporate new sensors into operations, and produce a program plan within 180 days and a proposed budget with the President's budget afterwards.

Coastal observing and fisheries data

If enacted, the bill would extend ICOS authorizations for FY2026–2030 and require at least 7.5% of ICOS funds go to each regional coastal observing system in existence on January 1, 2025. The ICOS program would be required to improve data management and include post‑storm evaluations in its Congress reports. The bill would also require fisheries reporting to identify priority stock surveys and give estimated costs to improve survey data quality. It would update the 3D Elevation Program to include processed and derivative data and extend its authorization to 2034.

Coordinated weather research program

If enacted, the Under Secretary would issue a coordinated weather research and research-to-operations plan within two years and update it at least every two years. The bill would also create a national program focused on improving precipitation forecasts, including extreme events like atmospheric rivers, and require NOAA to include budget requests for these activities with the President's budget each year.

Funding for Harmful Algal Blooms

If enacted, the bill would authorize $19.5 million per year to NOAA and $8 million per year to EPA for harmful algal bloom and hypoxia activities for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030. The bill would also allow transfers of these funds to other federal agencies only when an appropriations Act specifically permits the transfer.

More NOAA Research and Data Pilots

If enacted, the bill would fund and run many NOAA research programs and pilots to improve forecasts. It would authorize $166,736,000 for NOAA research in FY2026, $40,000,000 per year for subseasonal-to-seasonal pilots (FY2026–2030), and set up commercial data buying and pilot programs. The bill also authorizes airborne observation purchases, tornado research grants, ship-based observation pilots, a data-assimilation university consortium, and programs to buy or test commercial observation services.

National harmful algal bloom program

If enacted, NOAA would set up a national network to monitor and forecast harmful algal blooms (HABs). The network would combine federal, state, regional, and local data and use the Water Quality Portal to share freshwater and coastal HAB data. The bill would also create a national HAB incubator to pilot and scale mitigation technologies and a public database of permitting, costs, and effectiveness. The law would expand the legal definition of HABs to include more algae types and clarify tribal and subsistence coverage.

National heat health system

If enacted, the bill would create a National Integrated Heat Health Information System at NOAA to improve extreme-heat forecasts, warnings, and decision tools. It would set up an interagency committee to guide heat-health research and tools. The bill would authorize $5,000,000 per year for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030 to support the System and Committee.

Stronger interagency weather council

If enacted, the bill would rename and strengthen the interagency meteorology council and make the OSTP Director and NOAA Under Secretary co‑chairs. The council would keep a public inventory of meteorological observation data, ask private companies for updates every two years for ten years, and report to Congress annually until 2030 on Federal meteorological programs and barriers to acquiring observations. NOAA would also be authorized to form partnerships with weather services worldwide.

Tsunami Funding and State Aid

If enacted, the bill would authorize $30 million per year for tsunami programs for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030. At least 27% of each year's money must go to State-level tsunami hazard mitigation and at least 8% to tsunami research. The bill also requires government-to-government consultation with Indian Tribes and a report to Congress within two years on how well watches and warnings communicate risk.

Water monitoring and drought forecasting

If enacted, the USGS would create a Next Generation Water Observing System with $30,000,000 for FY2026 for 10 initial basins to add real‑time water quantity and quality sensors. The bill raises priority streamgage funding and priorities and authorizes $30,000,000 per year for streamgage work for FY2026–2033. NIDIS would get expanded authority and yearly authorizations from $15 million (FY2026) to $17 million (FY2030) and must update probabilistic drought forecasts within one year. The National Water Center functions would be established inside the Office of Water Prediction and NOAA would expand the National Mesonet Program and aerial snow surveys to improve runoff, flood, and drought outlooks.

NOAA capital investment planning

If enacted, NOAA would send a future‑years capital investment plan to Congress within 60 days after the President's budget is submitted. The plan must list major fleet, aircraft, and space platform projects, show the President's proposed funding for each, total cost to finish, projected funding for the next five years, and estimated completion dates. The plan would be prepared in consultation with NOAA line offices to improve transparency on long‑term projects.

Interagency Coordination and Oversight

If enacted, the bill would require federal agencies to cooperate with the NOAA Under Secretary on weather and related services and allow the Under Secretary to establish agreements to share systems, data, and technologies. The bill also directs NOAA to avoid duplicating other federal research activities and clarifies it does not replace government-to-government tribal consultation. The Secretary of Commerce must brief Congress within 180 days on policies for transferring Commerce weather satellites.

Marine Research, Fleet, and Enforcement Help

If enacted, NOAA and partners would publish planned fisheries stock assessments and surveys by Feb. 1 each year and could provide discretionary technical help to Pacific Island partners if money is available. The NSF must deliver a cybersecurity and telecommunications plan for the U.S. Academic Research Fleet within 1 year. The Department of Defense could use operation and maintenance funds to help partner nations fight illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing.

New Operational Tools and Partner Support

If enacted, the bill would let NOAA use crewed and uncrewed aerial and surface systems and mobile commercial observing systems for observations and storm damage assessment and allow NOAA to buy such systems and training. NOAA would also collect social and economic data about how people respond to hazard warnings and keep a central repository. The bill would let NOAA pay reasonable subsistence costs for hosted meetings if appropriated and authorize discretionary technical help to States for voluntary assessments. Separately, named Secretaries must make and start a hiring/training plan by March 30, 2026 to avoid premium-pay waivers.

Landslide partnerships and grants

If enacted, the bill would set up regional landslide partnerships in areas the Secretary finds have high landslide hazard and expand landslide preparedness grant eligibility to expressly include Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and certain colleges. The law would add priority for regions that recently experienced loss of life from landslides and add related definitions to the statute.

More landslide early-warning funding

If enacted, the bill would raise the authorized annual funding for the National Landslide Preparedness Act from prior levels to $35,000,000. At least $10,000,000 of that amount would have to fund purchase, deployment, and repair of landslide early warning systems in high-risk areas. The statute's funding horizon would extend through 2030. These changes would take effect upon enactment.

NOAA five-year staffing plan

If enacted, the bill would require the Under Secretary to submit a 5-year staffing plan to Congress within 180 days of enactment. The plan would cover the National Weather Service and NOAA positions that support forecasts and warnings. It must address data collection for watches and warnings, equipment operation and maintenance, IT systems, modeling, and research to improve forecasts and communication.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Cruz, Ted [R-TX]

TX • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 2/25/2026

  • Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]

    AK • R

    Sponsored 2/25/2026

  • Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]

    DE • D

    Sponsored 2/25/2026

  • Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

    KS • R

    Sponsored 2/25/2026

  • Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 2/25/2026

  • Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]

    MT • R

    Sponsored 2/25/2026

  • Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]

    NV • D

    Sponsored 2/25/2026

  • Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]

    NC • R

    Sponsored 3/2/2026

  • Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]

    MN • D

    Sponsored 3/2/2026

  • Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT]

    UT • R

    Sponsored 9/22/2026

  • Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]

    CO • D

    Sponsored 9/22/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation